New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-01-05
cropcr E1IOTs ART AND MORALS
,nor rovrsrN CIV S HER HIGH RANK.

-. ruv HEAD OF ENGLISH NoNhIieio
a. INN ruoRyE DIssENTs ENTIRELY
.a.,,b Century Club has droPpeu noa'
hical subjects and there Is ei'"e sors ar
u" nd almost no standing rooih :, ras+
opH" .,,ssons In tho American ArI 0"nei'oe ,ast
the "" , 'h,r.st George Eliot" was the top,I ,.
wv. ,ro,e. sor H. IL. Boyesen, OF Colunioa 81
'"s ,ho talk with witty, clever paper VIZ IT.
op'n s,.,.s.d novelist and the re 20 nders u. -
,I,horne and Mrs Charles Adams w. ,,.o,ossor
.orohed in the same light, easy 'onO, o,,rnt bis
povcsen though he used ni"""'0 -, a,1 them
.a,,er down almost to the cohVers'uo ,o,chtor
,rcr, disc attention and much aPp ar. charm
MI through Nj. Hawthorne ,ea, ., seriousness
49,, civen satircally. though then ia'h VI
was apparent ,,inc ENGLISH fiction
80. ~ this century and the last ABOVE ~ ,a,on
Corron H. indeed. German hcuo" 1s.,srr ands
49, account at all. Richarsoh' - ,,,
yuo,,ett. even sterrc, stuck close 10 'o'i w s,nt-
In'',s.,n and Errnarciiu st Pierre were "'oio
f""'so'" '''' ' =, IItora and of Ut jpian passions
"on' -, ,a,.r He got only ut the iorinS auu
% ~ ..,ncs in his stores. "hle h"''
'.,o,s oflcn. and most Of all George Ino1 ponO''
. ,.o mis- Of their chaiactrrS' III ''F'ie0 , 81,
- the more or less conscious morai "hro"'' VI
sa", u sh move, reached its elimination she com
- an a dcrroe unknown before the pure epic qu'iiV
the love of story telling and the power U, ino'i
~ No. ,,rged arajnst GEORGE Eliot that she preacheu
foo much, that her ddacticism was pau az" ~ ""'
~. ,ha+ he wrote stories with moral purpose
xrhat tbr Germans would call "Iendehh hoNols' IL
.he reached people with her moraiizhs That sei'oi
nro,er could not reach. 30 much the "c'Uoi "i nv
nrt sb,ud not DO for arts sake alone but shoa"
serye consciously or unconscously moral Pu'PoN'
George Eliot was the true founder Of the psychological
novel and the first to analyze accurately neh'i anu
moral motives analysis Of sin resolves u INTO "e"h
ness the unwillingness ~ face duty to do anytmhg '
f. disa greeable Tito in Romola Is poweruiy or""
Instance of n weak WILL drawn into baseness by desire
to have everything go pleasantly, TO give hinsen no
trouble and others pain. Arthur In " Adam beue'
brings about like catastrophe by his easy going
pleasure loving ways. his lack Of moral hrmhess anu
force The true villain is not the stage me Always 10 pe
counted on to do for its own Ske. but the man
or woman with good intentions enoufh but sluggard
conscience and will
Nothing could be more delicate ard at the same time
profound than George Eiots anal of the marriage re-
lat,n in Mddlemarch." the greatest English novel
Professor Boyescn said. except, perhaps. 1.-The New
comes" Here two contrasted marrfaSes-that Oh
Dorohea. with imperial shoulders coilmhar
throat and great blonde soul" 10 the dun pedant
Csaubon and that OF Iydgate. the man or noble aims
and lie to Rusainond. the worldly Coquette Marriage
should hinge character. not youthful passion ana
caprice, the novelist in elect argued AluI Iaeu 10
bring happiness there thing leit-a noble res
ieDaon sweet sadness OF devotion 10 dnty. u Wsn5
character which the tIuest thing IN lie GeOrse
Eot's view OF happiness that of 6oethesi I'm Faust
nm Wilhelm Meistcr that OF remuneration, OF SUI
uniting the in abeness of character not trying 10
escaI it, And This submission was really the Only virtue
Thus novel had become richer and broader reaching
nearer lire II had shown itself capable OF new deVel
Opmcnt of instrument OF etlcs ana psychology
III lao longer cung externals in Dickens; II grew
kpdicr aud more sympathetic more helpful than the
clear somewhat cynical htuednd of Ihackeray
George Eliot had tender pity for human sunerihe ana
warm AMI genuine alprct atiOn OF human weakness ana
these with her cal insight gave her vast
power to touch morally, nober mission than tat
OF merely amusing even instructing them. - .
Professor Boyesen dld not tonch on 1eo,Se "" he
life. ave know too httle about that, ne
said 1--WE have Cross Life, indeed whlcn contains
little of everything except facts cannot think tlat
n character that expressed itself in Middlemaich III
their high ideal The world Is richer for George Ehot
having lived it is al o better and Dohler . -,
After an interval Of fifteen minutes MT HaWlnorne
took the platform for few criticisms He thought that
Professor BOycsen had rather begged the question ABOUT
Georcc Elios standing artist by proving that she
was great morali,t The two might not be concdent al
all Tie ready TO admit that she was a
great ethical authority or a great psychOInslst'
but not that she an artist There
are morals and philosophy. he said, and even graphic
exists itself only II includes morality and rises above
IT. The question of petty morals has nothing 10 do WIN
the final judgment about II. Art justihes morals not
morals AIT. Mr. Hawthorne sad dealt with results
IA debasemcnt OF nOVeEwfitlng. Character was not
memorable love not chinera, and remuneration not I'M
peative. George EliOs NOR al Ser he Thought arose
ont OF her own akness of character Her VIII se was
feeble though her ueiicct strong ana her heroes
and villains have her own womani>h defecLs
Mrs Coombs took Mr. Boyesen's view OF the question
entirely. n akng apology for speaking az all Hler
him She suggested that Mr. Hawthorne spoke from oid
school preudccs and argued that George Eliot was great
IN both fields, the artistic and the moral.